“What an utter disgrace”- Former Tennis ace Todd Woodbridge disappointed in Davis Cup’s latest decision
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Todd Woodbridge and the Canadian team for Davis Cup
Todd Woodbridge, a former Australian Davis Cup great, has lambasted the ITF, accusing the governing body of bringing tennis to a “new low” with yet another contentious decision.
He has criticized a proposal to give Canada a wildcard to the Davis Cup finals this year. That’s despite Canada suffering a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of the Netherlands during a qualifying round earlier this month. The Canadians were defeated by the Dutch in the qualifications due to fielding a team without their two best players, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov. However, this came after Russia’s exclusion from the competition due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“Just can’t fathom how far this great competition has sunk”- Todd Woodbridge
The Australian, who was a member of winning Davis Cup teams in 1999 and 2003, took to Twitter to voice his dismay. “What an utter disgrace,” Todd Woodbridge wrote.
He expressed his disgust as Canada, the highest-ranking losing nation, has now been granted a respite. “Canada has lost this year but given a second chance wildcard. This is a new low for our sport. Just can’t fathom how far this great competition has sunk.”
Defending Chammpion Russia will not be able to defend their title
Officials confirmed on Thursday that the 2022 Davis Cup Finals will be held in September in Bologna, Glasgow, Hamburg, and Malaga. Sixteen nations will compete in four groups, one in each of the four cities, with the 12 winning teams from the qualifications, Croatia and the wildcards Serbia, and the United Kingdom.
Also, the draw for the group stage, which will take place from September 14 to 18, is scheduled to be played on March 31 in London. The top two teams out of each group will progress to the knockout phase, which will take place from November 23 to 27 in a fifth host city and will serve as the season-ending event on the men’s tennis calendar.
However, following the invasion of Ukraine, the ITF suspended Russia and Belarus’ memberships and withdrew their entry from team tournaments, preventing them from defending their championship.
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Pritha Ghosh
(414 Articles Published)